Anirudh Thapa plies his trade as a central midfielder. (File) India midfielder Anirudh Thapa has tested positive for COVID-19 and is under quarantine in a separate room in the team hotel in Doha.
Thapa tested positive on Wednesday, a day before India lost 0-1 to Asian champions Qatar in their joint World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers in Doha.
“Yes, Anirudh Thapa tested positive (for COVID-19) and he is isolated (from other team members),” All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das told PTI on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Chennaiyin FC player will be tested again for the virus in a few days. He has played more than 20 matches for India.
India are already out of contention for a World Cup berth but remain in the reckoning for the 2023 Asian Cup.
With three points from six matches, a winless India are at fourth spot in the Group E standings.
Head coach Igor Stimac’s men still have two matches in the joint qualifiers to salvage some pride. They play Bangladesh on June 7 and Afghanistan on June 15.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
